Did somebody say Summer Stock?
I love the theater. I especially love student productions that are done well. Friday’s night’s alumni production of Les Miserables may be the start of something big. As usual I was blown away with the talent of our students. What made this production particularly great was the collaboration of young and ‘old’. The age difference among the cast members spanned ten years; we had performers from the class of 2007 – 2017. When John Watts, Jenelle Fiori and Robbie DiBella pitched the idea to Mr. Owens and Mr. Escobar I was in full support and the result was amazing. That trio worked social media to get commitments from every lead in the 2008 production. Everyone’s voice seemed to get better with age. Stephanie pulled double duty in the pit and as Fantine (Anne Hathaway eat your heart out), Mo and Kenny made me laugh just as loud (wigs or no wigs). Nick was more convincing as Javert than Russell Crowe. I love to listen to Aislin, Karen and Alex sing – A “Heart full of Love” is one of my favorites. Of course Mr. Watts as Valjean- I can listen to him all night. Newcomers Brittany Hernandes (Sandy from Grease) and Kayla Orefice (Gavroche) led the way for the “younger” crew. The pit sounded unbelievable. There were no sets- just lights and a scrim and the effect was spectacular. Kudos to Billy Buehler and Tommy Falls! I enjoyed this so much we should do it every year. I hope this is the start of a new tradition and perhaps a summer stock for Mineola. Special thanks to Mr. Owens and all of the teachers who volunteered their time to make this happen.